14/09/2025
The situation in the Philippine government today🇵🇭
CTTO BY: Ryard Josh Adorabl artist from BOHOL👏🏽
Salute kababayan🫡
“PASANIN NG BAYAN”
medium: soils on canvas
Ang kaban ng bayan ay dapat manatiling para sa mamamayan, hindi para sa bulsa ng mga may upuan at kapangyarihan. Sila ang nararapat magtrabaho para sa bayan-hindi ang bayan ang piliting magbanat ng buto para lamang may mapunan sa kanilang upuan.
The medium I used for this piece is soil, mud, and rocks gathered from the construction sites of roadworks and flood control projects in our place. Ginamit ko ito to give the work both sentimental value and a sense of history, parang marka ng panahon, reminding us of what really happens during these so-called “developments” in our country.
Subjects:
• Crocodile-headed man
The crocodile is a symbol of greed, corruption, and predatory power. By placing it on a man in a traditional political barong, I wanted to reveal the true face of leadership na hindi para sa bayan kundi para sa sariling luho, leaders who live in excess while their people starve.
• The eagle chained on his hand
The Philippine eagle, our pride and strength, is shown in chains. It reflects how the nation’s dignity and spirit are restrained, controlled, and exploited by those in power.
• The people kneeling at the bottom
Blindfolded, they embody the ordinary citizens—poor, oppressed, and burdened. Their weary bodies tell us that kahit gaano pa sila magsikap, if the blindfolds remain, they will stay in the same place, forced to carry the throne. Their suffering sustains the comfort and luxury of the corrupt.
• The chess piece (king) as a staff
This symbolizes power, strategy, and dominance. It points to how political dynasties treat governance as a family business, as if the nation were a game of chess. Ordinary lives become pawns, sacrificed so one family can remain in power. It is a reminder that when politics becomes inheritance, corruption becomes tradition, and the people are left to carry the weight.
• The man carrying a broken scale of justice
The scale should stand for fairness, for justice that serves all. Pero dito, it is bent, broken, and heavy in the hands of the man who carries it. It shows how justice in our country no longer balances, lagi itong nakatagilid laban sa mahihina. What should protect the powerless has become another burden they are forced to carry.
-This artwork is a one-of-a-kind authentic, original painting. All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by the artist.